Overview

The Curse of King Tut's Mummy by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld, James Nelson

When the pharoahs of Egypt died, they were mummified and buried in pyramids and tombs with all their riches. But as centuries passed, the tombs were looted and the pharoahs' gold stolen. Then Howard Carter found the greatest Egyptian treasure trove of all—the tomb of King Tut's mummy! But did the amazing treasure come with a deadly curse?

About the Author

KATHLEEN WEIDNER ZOEHFELD is the award-winning author of more than seventy books for young readers, including several Stepping Stones nonfiction titles. Her book Dinosaur Parents, Dinosaur Young was voted an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K–12 by the CBC and the NSTA and was an ALA Notable Book. When Kathleen is not at her desk writing, you’ll find her volunteering at her local natural history museum or dreaming of the stars.

JIM NELSON lives in Chicago, Illinois. He has been represented in the juried annual "Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art." He's fond of animals, cartoons, books, chocolate, robots, movies, monsters, music and, of course, drawing. He is not fond of lima beans. Jim has a lifelong interest in ancient civilizations, but he has never discovered a tomb nor, to his knowledge, has he been cursed.

Read an Excerpt

KATHLEEN WEIDNER ZOEHFELD is the award-winning author of more than seventy books for young readers, including several Stepping Stones nonfiction titles. Her book Dinosaur Parents, Dinosaur Young was voted an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K–12 by the CBC and the NSTA and was an ALA Notable Book. When Kathleen is not at her desk writing, you’ll find her volunteering at her local natural history museum or dreaming of the stars.

JIM NELSON lives in Chicago, Illinois. He has been represented in the juried annual "Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art." He's fond of animals, cartoons, books, chocolate, robots, movies, monsters, music and, of course, drawing. He is not fond of lima beans. Jim has a lifelong interest in ancient civilizations, but he has never discovered a tomb nor, to his knowledge, has he been cursed.

First Chapter

KATHLEEN WEIDNER ZOEHFELD is the award-winning author of more than seventy books for young readers, including several Stepping Stones nonfiction titles. Her book Dinosaur Parents, Dinosaur Young was voted an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K–12 by the CBC and the NSTA and was an ALA Notable Book. When Kathleen is not at her desk writing, you’ll find her volunteering at her local natural history museum or dreaming of the stars.

JIM NELSON lives in Chicago, Illinois. He has been represented in the juried annual "Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art." He's fond of animals, cartoons, books, chocolate, robots, movies, monsters, music and, of course, drawing. He is not fond of lima beans. Jim has a lifelong interest in ancient civilizations, but he has never discovered a tomb nor, to his knowledge, has he been cursed.

Table of Contents

KATHLEEN WEIDNER ZOEHFELD is the award-winning author of more than seventy books for young readers, including several Stepping Stones nonfiction titles. Her book Dinosaur Parents, Dinosaur Young was voted an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K–12 by the CBC and the NSTA and was an ALA Notable Book. When Kathleen is not at her desk writing, you’ll find her volunteering at her local natural history museum or dreaming of the stars.

JIM NELSON lives in Chicago, Illinois. He has been represented in the juried annual "Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art." He's fond of animals, cartoons, books, chocolate, robots, movies, monsters, music and, of course, drawing. He is not fond of lima beans. Jim has a lifelong interest in ancient civilizations, but he has never discovered a tomb nor, to his knowledge, has he been cursed.

Reading Group Guide

KATHLEEN WEIDNER ZOEHFELD is the award-winning author of more than seventy books for young readers, including several Stepping Stones nonfiction titles. Her book Dinosaur Parents, Dinosaur Young was voted an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K–12 by the CBC and the NSTA and was an ALA Notable Book. When Kathleen is not at her desk writing, you’ll find her volunteering at her local natural history museum or dreaming of the stars.

JIM NELSON lives in Chicago, Illinois. He has been represented in the juried annual "Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art." He's fond of animals, cartoons, books, chocolate, robots, movies, monsters, music and, of course, drawing. He is not fond of lima beans. Jim has a lifelong interest in ancient civilizations, but he has never discovered a tomb nor, to his knowledge, has he been cursed.

Interviews

KATHLEEN WEIDNER ZOEHFELD is the award-winning author of more than seventy books for young readers, including several Stepping Stones nonfiction titles. Her book Dinosaur Parents, Dinosaur Young was voted an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K–12 by the CBC and the NSTA and was an ALA Notable Book. When Kathleen is not at her desk writing, you’ll find her volunteering at her local natural history museum or dreaming of the stars.

JIM NELSON lives in Chicago, Illinois. He has been represented in the juried annual "Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art." He's fond of animals, cartoons, books, chocolate, robots, movies, monsters, music and, of course, drawing. He is not fond of lima beans. Jim has a lifelong interest in ancient civilizations, but he has never discovered a tomb nor, to his knowledge, has he been cursed.

Recipe

KATHLEEN WEIDNER ZOEHFELD is the award-winning author of more than seventy books for young readers, including several Stepping Stones nonfiction titles. Her book Dinosaur Parents, Dinosaur Young was voted an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K–12 by the CBC and the NSTA and was an ALA Notable Book. When Kathleen is not at her desk writing, you’ll find her volunteering at her local natural history museum or dreaming of the stars.

JIM NELSON lives in Chicago, Illinois. He has been represented in the juried annual "Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art." He's fond of animals, cartoons, books, chocolate, robots, movies, monsters, music and, of course, drawing. He is not fond of lima beans. Jim has a lifelong interest in ancient civilizations, but he has never discovered a tomb nor, to his knowledge, has he been cursed.

Editorial Reviews

Howard Carter's life began as ordinarily as any child's. Yet his love for drawing and his curiosity about the ancient world lead him to overcome his poor health and go on to great adventures. Young readers will walk with Carter through his growing up years and his struggles, all of which lead him to a search of the famous Valley of the Kings for a king almost everyone had forgottenKing Tut. The historic detail Ms. Zoehfeld provides adds interest. She does a masterful job of balancing shorter chapters with cliff-hanging endings. As you read, you can almost feel the suspense climbing to a climax. Will this be the tomb he has been searching for? Or has he just been chasing a dream? This "true stories" chapter book is a good choice for read-alouds in classrooms which may encourage children to make the leap from picture books to longer texts.

Children's Literature - Cathy Puett Miller

Gr 2–4Zoehfeld presents the exciting story of Howard Carter's discovery of the tomb of Egypt's boy-king, beginning with Carter's childhood in England. As a young man and a painter, he had the opportunity to visit Egypt, where he worked closely with and learned from archaeologists. He went on to become Chief Inspector for Antiquities and, contrary to popular belief, was convinced that there was still at least one more pharaoh to be discovered in the Valley of the Kings. He was introduced to Lord Carnarvon, and the rest is amazing history. This beginning chapter book vividly describes how Carter's determination led to one of the most exciting discoveries of all time. It presents the facts objectively, and the story of the curse is downplayed, noting, "the stories of the curses were all made up." This book will appeal to young readers in search of true adventure.—Carole Phillips, Greenacres Elementary School, Scarsdale, NY

Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal

Adding a light dusting of invented detail, Zoehfeld retraces the course of Howard Carter's youth and career to its dramatic high point, mentions the "curse" in a single brief, dismissive passage, then closes with a note on modern investigations into the causes of King Tut's early death. Fledgling chapter-book readers may be drawn in by the title, but rare is the library that doesn't already own other renditions of the renowned tale. The illustrations are unlikely to carry as much visual interest as the photos and images of golden artifacts in the likes of Giovanni Caselli's In Search of Tutankhamen: The Discovery of a King's Tomb (1999) or Zahi A. Hawass's Tutankhamen: The Mystery of the Boy King (2005). (Nonfiction. 9-11)

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